GOSPET, - The Gospel Magazine

THOUGIITS ON TIIE PRIESTI]OOD AND TII.E CONTESSIONAL.
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shall rre be rviser than they.P They alrvavs connected the tloctrirre aud the duty
to-gether, shorving us tbereby tlrat rluty is the corrstant and necessary attendarit
of privilege. Exaurirre, for instance, tlre Serrnon on the mount. St. peter,s
serrnon on the drrv of PentecoEr, antl St. Paulrs at Arriioch. Theie rviil show
rvhat rvas the preaching in rheir davs, and therefore,vlrat jhould be in ours.
I rnust norv, ll,r\vever', r.onrlude, h.rvirrg already trespassed too lorrg oD your
attention; but the great irnportarrce of the subieit has'emlroldenetl nre to arlrlress
vou, in the hope thatfrorn this hiot sorne alrler. pen r]lav be led to treat
tpon it. Let us then, while rve bless .virh tharrkful bearts oui heaveulv Father
f'r the many r.ulnur 6o.pel Ireachers r'hirh are scaItered througlr our privileged
countrv-, unite in our prayers to the tlrrone of grace, tlrat the Loirt of
tlre harvest rvill send forth m'r'e and more labourers into his harvest, to gatlrer
ortt Ibr himselffrom the fouL corrrers of the earth, a peculiar Deoole. zealous of
good rvorks, rvlto shall he hg1*r1,.. a lrriglrt rlia,lern encilclinq ihs i'1,1u of Jesus.
to the qlory of our covenant Jehovalr, Father, Son, and Spiiit.
s' P' w'
Dubtin.
.T'HOUGHTS
ON THE PRIESTHOOD AND THI]
CONFESSiONAL.
IN consequence of tbe eutrance of sin, man cannot approach the hcly Gorl,
rvithout a Mediator, and as sin dishonours God's larv, and brings contempt upon
His name; Gorl does not or cannot pardon tbe sin, rvithout his iustice be satisfietl,
and his law honouled; hence an atonement is needful ro satisfy irrstice,
and an obedience to IIis larv must be reudered, so as to make it I'onourible in
tlespite of the sin, so as a Mediator is necessary betrveen tbe offender and the
offended; a Priest as a sacrifice is also needful that full satisfaction mav be rnade.
for iniquity, sin, arrd transgression. lt is moreover rreedful, in ortlei to bring
ahout the reconeiliation betleen the palties, that the offending party should be
duly infornrerl of the plan of reconciliarion, lor this cause a Progrhei is needfirl
to teach them. Again, the consequence of sin is that man lras relrelletl against
Gotl as bis King, therefore a Kine is appointed, who lras equal authoriri with
God, rvho mav lrring back the reliels, anil brinE thern into subiection, and wlro
so fit as God's orvn Son ? Behold then the Son of lGod ! rvho in cornDassion
to His Church, rvilliagly undertook (rvith the rvill of God rhe Father) th-e .ioint
office br offices, of Prophet, Priest, and King', and lfJerliator belrveen God- and
rnan; moreover, as lly tlre devices oI Satan,tbe rvhole rvorld is at enmity against
Gotl, a constant rvarfare is carried on in the rvorld aqainst His Govirninent.
Hence His people, rvhen reconciled to God are eneompasserl rvith enerniesand
the Clrurch is Nlilirant-but an army requires a leader or a comrnander,
hence He wlro is their King, is also their Cuptai,n.
But as rhis rnost glorious Person is invisible to rnortal eye, horv are I:Iis people
taught to knorv Him I and to receive Him in Hjs fijediat,rlial cbarac'ter ?
It is hy the teaching and indrvelling of God the Elolv Glrost, rvho is in coveuanr
engagement rvith the Fatlrer and the Son, to lead His people into all the trurb,
to take of the things of Christ and shorv them to His people.
It rvas by the Hily Spirit's rvolk in Hisheart, and by His teaching, tlrar Abel
offered up an acceptable sac'riflce, that is by faith and by blootl, as a figure of
Clrrist's atonement. But Abel lvas not a priest, and is not rnentiooed as such;
but his offerinq rvas made by laith in Christ, rvLo is set up from everlastirrg, as
the Prophet, Priest, antl Kine of his Ohurch, and His offeiing is His orvn bodr':
for in the purpose and eye of God, He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of
the rvorld; read the llth chanter of the Hebrervs. It rvas thus tbat Noah and
all the Patriarchs offered sacrifice not as prie$s, for they coulrl not take upon
them the priest's o{Iice-" as no man taketb this honour unto himself, but he
that is calletl of God, as Aaron, Hebrervs v.4. But the Seripture inforrns us that